Hydraulic tilting blade controls for bulldozers



June 24, 1958 HYDRAULIC Filed Aug. 16, 1957 Pied.

- T. L. MACKEY TIL-TING BLADE CONTROLS FOR BULLDQZERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. THEoooaELMAcKEY may. V 'FFO ENEYS June 24, 1958' T. L. MACKEY,839

HYDRAULIC TIL-TING BLADE CONTROLS FOR BULLDOZERS Filed Aug. 16, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Tuaoooaa L. MAcK EY United States Patent 0,

HYDRAULIC TILTING BLADE CONTROLS FOR BULLDOZERS- Theodore L. Mackey,Colorado Springs, Colo. Application August 16, 1957, Serial No. 678,478

2 Claims. (Cl. 37-144) This invention relatesto bulldozers or similarearth moving equipment, and more particularly has reference to a blademounting and'construction so designed as to permit the tilting of theblade about an ,axis extending transversely of the blade, in a directiondisposed transversely of the axis about which the blade swings whenbeing raised or lowered.

Ordinarily, a bulldozer construction is such that when one desires totilt the bulldozer blade to one side or the other, that is, about anaxis extending longitudinally of the tractor or bulldozer, he 'mustleave the tractor seat to make the adjustment. However, in accordancewith the present invention hydraulic 'controls may be operated by thetractoroperator without the necessity of leaving the tractor sea-t,while themachine is moving, for the purpose of so tilting bulldozerblade.

, A' further object is to provide means of the character described thatcan beembodied in generally conventional bulldozer construction, with aminimum of modification and redesign of said construction.

Still another object is to sodesign the'tiltable blade construction andmounting as to permit the same to be incorporated .in' other-hydrauliccontrols, of the type used in raising andlowering the bulldozer blade,again with a minimum of modification of the bulldozer construction.

Otherobjects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a bulldozer equipped with ablade mounting according to the present invention, the blade being shownin full lines in a normal position and in dotted lines in oppositeextreme positions to which the same may betilted;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the bulldozer, and ofthe blade mounting;

Figure 3 is a top plan view;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary, exploded perspective view of thebulldozer blade construction; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged, detail sectional view substantially on line 55of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, designated generally by thereference numeral is a conventional bulldozer. This has a track frame 12that includes side members 13 extending along opposite sides of thebulldozer.

In accordance with the invention, secured within the outwardly opening,channeled side members 13 (see Figures 2 and 5 are support brackets 14.

'The push arms 15, 16 of fl'ie bulldozer blade extend along oppositesides of the tractor or bulldozer, in laterally outwardly spacedrelation to the side frame members 13 of the track frame. The push arms15, 16 have balland-socket type connections to the track frame, thisbeing necessary when the raising and lowering of the blade is effectedby the type of lifting means shown in Figure 1.

Thus, extending into the rear end of the push arms are bolts 20, passingthrough ball socket members 18,

2,839,848 Patented June 24,1958

2. having hemispherical sockets formed in the rear extremities of thepush arms. Ball elements 22 are engaged for universal movement in thesockets provided at the rear ends of the push arms, and are integrallyor otherwise rigidly formed with laterally inwardly projecting'stubs 24having reduced, threaded extensions 26 that extent through openings ofthe bracket 14. Nuts 28 are threaded upon the extensions 26 to fixedlysecure the ball elements to the brackets. Integral or otherwise maderigid with the forward end of the push arm 15 is a front cross brace 30spaced forwardly from the front end of the bulldozer proper. Cross brace30 is perpendicular to push arm 15 and forms with the same in a rigidlyconstituted, L-shaped blade support frame. I

The push arm 16 does not have a rigid connection to the other end of thecross brace 30. Rather, referring to- Figure 4, it will be seen that thepush arm 16 has a diagonally extending brace member 34 rigid therewith,said brace member being in turn braced by a brace element 36 fixedlyconnected between the push arm 16 and brace member 34. Formed in theouter end of the brace member 34 isan opening 38.

A brace member 40 is'rigid with the adjacent end portion' of the brace30, and is reinforced by a brace element 42 rigidly connected betweenmember 40 and brace 30. A plate 44 has an opening 46.

R-igidly secured to push arm 16 forwardly of brace member 34 is 'adiagonal connector 48 disposed adjacent a triangular block 50 rigid withthe adjacent end of brace 30. Block 50 has a back wall parallel tomembers a 40, 34 and 48, formed with opening 52 registrable with opening54 of member 48. Extendable through the several openings 33', 46, 52, 54is a connecting pin 56 which extends at 45 to the angle of push arm 16and cross brace 30. In other words, pin 56 bisects the right angledefined between arm 16 and cross brace 30, extending along line A alongwhich pin 56 extends through the center of the ball andsocket joint atthe rear end of arm 15 (see Figure 3). The blade 58 has bevelled top andbottom edge portions 60,62 and a-transversely concave front face 62.Brace 30 is'rigid with and extends substantially the full. length ofblade 58. Y

Conventional means is employed for moving the blade 60 upwardly anddownwardly about a transverse axis B extending horizontally between thecenters of the ball and socket joints. Such meanscan he hydraulic orcould be'any other type of lift now in common use. For example, theremay be hydraulic cylinders 64 pivoted at their rear ends or pins 66 toswing about an axis adjacent the front end of the bulldozer parallel toaxi B. Rams or piston rods 68 project forwardly from the cylinders andare pivotally connected at 70 to the rear face of blade 58.

In accordance with the invention, hydraulic means is provided fortilting the blade to any of the poistions shown in Figure 1, about theaxis A of Figure 3. To this end, arranged transversely of axis A is ahydraulic expansible means including cylinder 72 having a rear endpivoted at 74 on the front end portion of push arm 16. A piston rod 76works in cylinder 72 and has a pivotal connection 78 to blade 58adjacent one end of blade 58.

Thus, if piston 76 is retracted into cylinder 72 from its Figure 2position, a pull is set up on the top edge portion of blade 58 causingthe blade, cross brace 30 and push arm 15 to rock as a unit about axis Aon the ball provided at the rear end of arm 15 and on the pin 56. Theblade thus would tilt to the position a shown in Figure 1 from itsnormal poistion 12 shown in the same figure.

By extending ram 76 from its Figure 2 position, the

blade is rocked downwardly, again about the axis A, to the dotted lineposition shown in Figure 1.

The blade can be tilted in this manner in any position to which it isswung upwardly or downwardly about axis B, as will be readily apparent.

It is believed clear that the invention is not necessarily confined tothe specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustratedanddescribed, since such construction is only intended to beillustrative of the principles of operation and the means presentlydevised to carry out said principles, it being considered that theinvention comprehends any minor change in construction that may bepermitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bulldozer, a blade and mounting therefor comprising, incombination with a bulldozer frame, a pair of push arms at oppositesides of the frame mounted for up-and-down swinging movement about anaxis extending transversely of the frame normally to the length thereof;a blade extending transversely between the forward ends of said arms,said blade having a rigid connection to one arm and a pivotal connectionto the other arm; and means for rocking the blade about the axis of itspivotal connection to said other arm, said axis of the pivotalconnection of the blade to said other push arm extending obliquely ofthe first named axis,

the angle of the blade being at right angles to said push arms, saidsecond axis bisecting the angle defined between the blade and said otherpush arm, said second axis including the first axis at the location ofthe connection of said one push arm to the frame, said means for rockingthe blade about the second axis comprising a hydraulic cylinderpivotally connected to said other push arm and a ram extending from saidcylinder and having a pivotal connection to the blade, the cylinder andram overlying the second axis with the ram having its connection to theblade in closely spaced relation to the upper edge of the blade, theconnection of the blade to said other arm comprising an elongated pin,diagonal brace members having registering openings receiving said pin,said brace members being rigid with the blade and said other push armrespectively, and correspondingly diagonally extending connector membersspaced from the brace members and rigid with the blade and said otherpush arm, the connector members having registering openings receivingsaid pin.

2. In a bulldozer, a blade and mounting therefor comprising, incombination with a bulldozer frame, a pair of push arms at oppositesides of the frame mounted for up-and-down swinging movement about anaxis extending transversely of the frame normally to the length thereof;a blade extending transversely between the forward ends of said arms,said blade having a rigid connection to one arm and a pivotal connectionto the other arm; and means for rocking the blade about the axis of itspivotal connection to said other arm, said axis of the pivotalconnection of the blade to said other push arm extending obliquely ofthe first named axis, the angle of the blade being at right angles tosaid push arms, said second axis bisecting the angle defined between theblade and said other push arm, said a second axis including the firstaxis at the location of the connection of said one push arm to theframe, said means for rocking the blade about the second axis comprisinga hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected to said other push arm and aram extending from said cylinder and having a pivotal connection to theblade, the cylinder and ram overlying the second axis with the ramhaving its connection to the blade in closely spaced relation to theupper edge of the blade, the connection of the blade to said other armcomprising an elongated pin, diagonal brace members having registeringopenings receiving said pin, said brace members being rigid with theblade and said other push arm r'espectivelyyand correspondinglydiagonallyextending connector members spaced from the brace members andrigid with the'blade and saidother push arm, the connector membershaving registering openings receiving said pin, the connections of thepush arms to the frame comprising ball and socket joints carried by thepush arms and frame respectively at locations laterally outwardly spacedfrom the frame,

Reuter et al. May 18, 1954 Troop June 22, 1954

